Women Guide

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USW Guide for

Women’s Committees
WO ME N O F ST EEL: WOR K IN G FOR EQ UALI TY
A few words about words

Like the rest of society, USW is learning and changing its language and approaches to issues of gender. We know
that “women” and “men,” or “sisters” and “brothers,” can suggest that there are only two possible gender identities.
In reality, gender is a spectrum, but Canada’s official languages don’t give us much flexibility. Please note that we
use “women” and “sisters” to include all Steelworkers who identify as such.
And we acknowledge that women are a very diverse group, too. One woman’s experience of life and work can
be very different from another’s because of her race, age, presence of a physical or mental disability, sexual
orientation and many other factors. We intend to refer to Women of Steel in all our diversity and have tried to
make this document reflect that reality.
2 U S W G U I DE FOR WOMEN’S C O MMI TTEES

WO MEN O F STEEL: WO RKI NG FO R E Q UAL I TY
Dear Sisters and allies:

USW is committed to achieving full equality for women.
One of the ways we work for full equality is by empowering women to be active in our union and in the wider
community. Women’s Committees are places where empowerment and activism grow. This step-by-step guide will
help develop and support an active USW network of local, area, regional and district Women’s Committees.
Women of Steel reflect the diversity of Canada. You work in mines and in universities, in call centres and in
manufacturing plants, everywhere in the economy. You come from all ethnic backgrounds and speak a rich variety
of languages. Your ancestors are Canada’s First Peoples, and you are the first generation of your family to live in this
country. Your families, loved ones and communities are also diverse. And your connection to our union may be recent
or long-standing.
Because of this diversity, USW Women’s Committees can be active on a wide range of issues depending on what’s
important to your members and your community. But what all Women’s Committees have in common is the USW
commitment to achieving full equality for women and to encouraging women to be active in our union.
USW wants to make sure that women’s activism and leadership are welcome. We have strong policies and programs
against harassment inside our union and in the workplace. We are proud of our education courses for women –
Women of Steel: Developing Leadership and USW Women’s Committees: Leading Together – and we ensure that
women are active participants throughout the Steelworker education program. We take action on key political,
economic and social issues affecting women’s lives, issues like violence against women and girls, affordable child care
and job creation. And we build alliances with other unions and organizations around the globe who also work to
advance women’s equality.
Of course the road to full equality is a hard one. Canadian women didn’t fully have the right to vote until 1960, when
Aboriginal women (and men) were allowed the ballot. In the 1980s, women had to go to court to win the right to be
hired into steel-mill production jobs. And still today, Canadian women earn only about 75 cents for every dollar a man
earns.
No one walks the road to equality alone. That’s the good news! Activists in past generations have built bridges over
the canyons and we walk on those bridges today. USW Women’s Committees are building that road to equality. Our
union values that work because women’s rights are workers’ rights.
We hope this guide will help strengthen your local, area, regional or district Women’s Committee. We encourage you to
use the guide and share it with a sister or a brother. Together we are strong.
In solidarity,
Ken Neumann, Stephen Hunt

National Director Director, District 3
Alain Croteau Marty Warren

Director, District 5 Director, District 6
2017
USW GUI DE FO R WO MEN’S CO MMITTE E S 3


How To Use This Guide

This guide will be useful if you are:
TT Setting up a Women’s Committee for the first time

TT Revitalizing an existing Women’s Committee
TT Looking for new and creative ways of reaching members
TT Looking for ways to represent women in the workplace, through collective bargaining, and on public
policy issues
The USW Guide for Women’s Committees outlines what Women’s Committees can do, how they are set up, who
participates and what role they can play at all levels in our union. The guide includes Getting Down to Work
sheets which focus on specific planning activities or tools.
Review the guide with other sisters and discuss which ideas and tools might work best in your context.
Use it together with the Women of Steel Action Calendar. Besides highlighting some important dates and
women’s contributions in the labour movement, the action calendar helps you apply ideas from the guide to
create a plan of activities for your Women’s Committee.
Because they are the most common kind of Women’s Committee in our union, the guide refers to local Women’s
Committees. But you can apply the ideas and processes to committees at the regional, area council and district
level, too.
These resources were produced as a result of sisters’ requests for advice on setting up and running Women’s
Committees. Please send us any suggestions for additions or changes. Your feedback will help other Women’s
Committees in the future. (You can send your comments and suggestions to: National Women’s Committee, c/o
USW Canadian National Office, 800-234 Eglinton Ave. E., Toronto, Ont., M4P 1K7, or email info@usw.ca.)
Good luck and good work!

Contents
A Brief History 9
Why USW needs Women’s Committees 10
Nuts and Bolts of a Women’s Committee 10

Recruit Committee Members 11
Getting Down to Work:
Where are the Women? 13
Recruit committee members 14
Call a first meeting 15
What’s our mission? 15
Doing a survey to find out what women think 16
Create an action plan 17
Creating an action plan 18
How do we make it happen? 21
Tips for developing a Women’s Committee budget 21
Making a committee budget 22
Reporting Expenses 23
Keep it happening! 24
Sharing responsibilities 24
Communicating 24
Making committee events accessible 25
Is it working? 26
10 Ways a Women’s Committee Can Build an Inclusive Local 27
Creating a Welcoming Cross-Cultural Environment 29
Brainstorming: A Technique for Generating New Ideas 31
Getting Things Done 32

Where Do We Fit In? 32
Taking Part in Your Local Union 32
Working with Other Committees 32


How to Contact your Local Executive and Committees 33
Connecting with Human Rights Committees 34
Bargaining 35
Conferences and Conventions 35
Writing Motions and Resolutions 37
Organizing Your Motion 39
Elections 40
Steelworkers Education 40
Connecting with NextGen 42
Connecting with SOAR 42
Key Issues for Women of Steel 43

Pay Equity 43
Women’s Health and Safety 43
Women’s Mental Health 44
Harassment 45
Child Care 45
Violence against Women and Domestic Violence at Work 47
Organizing: Spread the Word 48

Building Solidarity and a Stronger Union:
Organizing New Members 49
Political Action:
Changing the Power Structure Over Our Jobs 50
Become Active in Elections and the NDP 52
In Summary: You’re Not Alone! 53
Glossary 54


A Brief History
Since the early days of our union in 1936, there have been women Steelworkers. But the work world
wasn’t a friendly place for women. Many jobs – usually the better-paid ones – were closed to us.
We faced sexual harassment and bullying.
There were barriers inside the union, too. Plants with mostly female workforces had only men on the local
executives. Bargaining and job-evaluation systems left women at the bottom end of the pay scale. And not all
fellow union members were “open-minded.” Some refused to mentor women apprentices or harassed women
co-workers.
But women stuck with it. On our own, or with the support of other sisters, progressive union leaders and staff,
women kept demanding decent work and a place in the union.
The first USW local Women’s Committee was created in 1981 in USW 2900 (Inglis) in Toronto. Its objectives
included encouraging women to take an active role in the union by attending meetings and running for union
office, mobilizing to get women to courses and conferences and providing a secure place where women could
come with complaints of harassment.
By the 1980s, the world was changing. Women were fighting back. Feminists campaigned for abortion access;
protection from violence and harassment; for maternity leave and equal pay. The Canadian Charter of Rights and
Freedoms became law in 1982, giving a powerful tool to change discriminatory legislation.
And in 1982, the Women’s Action Committee of the Steelworkers’ Toronto Area Council was formed. It began
offering women’s-only courses on harassment and pay equity.
With more women entering the workforce and the union, District 6 Director Leo Gerard was caught by the
feminist wave. Strikes at female-dominated USW locals at Radio Shack and Fotomat brought women’s leadership
to the forefront. In 1985, a high-profile sexual harassment complaint at the Stelco steel mill in Hamilton led the
district, and then the national union, to develop a policy against harassment.
In 1987, District 6 created a district Women’s Committee and started what would become the Women of Steel
program. The first Women of Steel leadership course was designed by women, facilitated by women for only
women participants. Over the years, it has been responsible for linking hundreds of individual Women of Steel
with leadership roles inside the union and beyond.
In 2005, delegates to the USW 32nd International Constitutional Convention voted unanimously to amend the
constitution by adding:
“To further our commitment to encourage activism, leadership development and greater understanding of
gender issues in our Local Unions with female membership, a Women’s Committee, under the direction of
the International Union or its designated representative, shall be established by such Local Unions.” (Article VII,
Section 13)
Today, in addition to a National Women’s Committee, each of the Canadian District Directors has established a
structure to encourage women’s participation across our union.

Why USW needs Women’s Committees

Besides the obvious – the USW Constitution requires it – Women’s Committees offer a way for women to raise
issues, press for change and get our issues onto the negotiating table and the convention floor.
The USW is stronger when policies and collective agreements reflect the needs of our sisters as well as our
brothers. But the work environment – from its physical layout, to the way women’s work is undervalued and
underpaid, to harassment and discrimination – creates barriers to women’s employment. Lack of affordable child
care limits many women’s access to job security and decent wages.
Women’s Committees ensure our union takes action on issues that are important to women and that advance
women’s equality. They also help to build solidarity and mutual respect among our membership and potential
membership. The Women’s Committees do this by providing support to stewards, elected officers, negotiating
team members and organizers as well as by working with groups in the wider community.
Unionized women fare better; and unionized women working together fare much better. Simply put: women
need unions and unions need women.

Nuts and Bolts of a Women’s Committee

This guide can be useful, no matter which of these situations you are in:
TT When the Local has taken steps to form a Women’s Committee for the first time: Perhaps some women
have asked for a committee; perhaps the local executive understands having a committee would help
it engage with more members. The executive has approached one or two sisters to get things started.
Maybe one sister has been named as the chairperson. Now what? See steps one-to-seven below.
TT When individual women need to take steps to form a Women’s Committee for the first time: Using the
reasons on the next page, Why USW needs Women’s Committees, speak to the local president or speak
at a local membership meeting. Make a case for starting a committee. Be prepared to offer to do some
work! Follow steps one-to-seven below.
TT When an existing committee has run out of steam: Use steps one-to-seven to get started again. Or
choose from the activities or processes described in this guide to try things that will re-energize women
members.
TT STEP ONE: Recruit committee members

TT STEP TWO: Call a first meeting
TT STEP THREE: What’s our mission? When there aren’t enough women in the local, or not enough women
interested in forming a committee:
TT STEP FOUR: Create an action plan
If you live in a community with a labour council or a USW area council,
TT STEP FIVE: How do we make it happen? see if one of these bodies has a Women’s Committee you can join. Or find
a women’s organization in your home community and work with them.
TT STEP SIX: Keep it happening! This guide can still help you figure out how to connect with your local,
keep them updated on what you’re doing and make bargaining proposals
TT STEP SEVEN: Is it working?
or other motions in support of women’s issues.
1 0 U S W G U ID E FOR WOMEN ’S CO MMI TTEES

Whether you are starting a Women’s Committee or re-energizing an existing one, it’s
important to know what the mandate of a USW Women’s Committee can include.
A Women’s Committee can:
TT Provide a safe environment for women to discuss TT Lobby for legislative improvements and change
current workplace, community or personal issues
and strategies for change TT Encourage the development of more Women’s
Committees
TT Educate women on our rights, obligations and
responsibilities to ourselves and other women TT Act as mentors to young, newly active and newly
organized women
TT Educate brothers to understand and support action
on women’s issues TT Organize informal educational and social events
with community and local committees
TT Provide advice and guidance to union leaders,
including bargaining committees, on issues TT Assist in the planning and organization of
important to women conference and local courses to ensure the content,
speakers and participants reflect the diversity of
TT Network and communicate with Women’s our union’s membership
Committees in other local unions and at the area,
regional, district and national level TT Identify women’s education and training needs to
ensure union courses and programs are accessible
TT Reach out to and work with women’s organizations and applicable
in the community
TT Assist USW organizers in organizing and educating
TT Research and present action proposals and policies new members
Your Women’s Committee could even write a mission statement, like this one:
“The Local Women’s Committee will work in solidarity with sisters and brothers to
take action at the bargaining table on women’s issues; increase the involvement and
leadership of women in our union; support organizing and other USW campaigns for
equality and progressive political change.”
Recruit committee members
STEP 1 Find out more about the women in your local (how many, in what jobs and
work locations, ages, racial/ethnic/cultural backgrounds, languages, etc.). It’s
hard to build a Women’s Committee that will engage women and respond to
their priorities if the committee doesn’t reflect who they are. And it’s hard to
reach out to them if you don’t know where to find them in the workplace.
Women’s Committees can help set an example of how inclusive union structures can be when steps are taken to
break down barriers to those who have been traditionally disadvantaged in the workplace, our union and in the
community.
Getting Down to Work: Where are the Women? suggests one way to systematically learn about the women in
your local.
Once you know who and where the women are, you can start to recruit volunteers for the committee. Getting
Down to Work: Recruiting Women to Join your Women’s Committee gives you some how-to ideas.
USW GUI DE FO R WO MEN’S CO MMI T TE E S 11

Should men sit on a Women’s Committee? No. Instead, encourage brothers to act on their interest and concern by being good allies.
Some ways they can do this are:
TT Voting in favour of motions that the Women’s Committee brings to local membership meetings
TT Stepping aside to let women attend educational courses, conferences and conventions or serve on bargaining
committees or the local executive
TT When they sit on committees of the local, being open to working with the Women’s Committee on issues of common interest
Some local Women’s Committees have set up subcommittees to look at specific areas of concern. In these cases, men may be
asked to join a subcommittee to help identify solutions to problems that affect all members, like access to affordable child care.


Where are the Women?
If you are in a large local, or a local spread over several sites or shifts, here is one way to help you
figure out where sisters work and some basic information about them. Knowing this will help you
figure out how to recruit for your Women’s Committee and how to connect them to the committee’s
work.
Suggested supplies:
1. A large sheet of paper, like flipchart paper or brown wrapping paper
2. Several markers of different colours
3. A highlighter to indicate questions or areas that need more research
4. A membership list
On a large sheet of blank paper, map out your workplace:
1. Draw large boxes for each work location. If a particular location has different floors or sub-
units, make sure your drawing reflects this. Label what each location is.
2. Write in what you know, and highlight or keep a list of anything you don’t know but need to find out:
a. The approximate number of employees in each work location who self-identify as fe-
male.
b. Their job classifications and their job status (permanent, temporary, contract, etc.).
c. How many are in the age ranges of 35 or younger; 35-50; 50+.
d. Which languages are commonly spoken by the women.
e. How many are racialized women and how many are self-identifying Aboriginal women.
Note: Racialized persons include but are not limited to people who identify as South Asian, East
Asian, South-east Asian, African, Caribbean, South and Central American, West Asian (e.g. Irani-
an, Afghani). Aboriginal persons include those who identify as Métis, Inuit or First Nations
f. How many women self-identify as lesbian, bisexual or two-spirited.
g. How many are women with disabilities or with accommodations for disability.
Take a look at the picture you’ve made of women in your local. Use it to think about how to make sure
your Women’s Committee represents all the women. For example, if women are evenly spread over
all three age ranges and a large number speak Urdu, then your committee shouldn’t be made up of
only English-speaking 45-year-olds. Or if women are evenly split between permanent and temporary
workers, your committee shouldn’t be made up of only permanent workers. Try your best to have
your committee mirror the women in the membership.
If you find you have a lot of highlighted areas or questions on your list, do more research first, before
recruiting or making other decisions.


Recruiting women to join your Women’s Committee
It’s great when women volunteer to serve on the Women’s Committee. But if you want to make
sure that the committee reflects the workplace, you may need to recruit women from specific
classifications, work sites, shifts, age groups and racial/ethnic groups to make sure key voices are
heard.
It’s not enough to put a notice in the local newsletter or on the website; you need to ask in person!
Identify potential recruits  Talk to them  Ask them to join.
To prepare for these conversations, think ahead:
List three good reasons to join the Women’s Committee:
1.
2.
3.
Thinking of each individual woman you’d like to recruit, list one quality or ability that she has and
that will help the Women’s Committee:
1.
List three good questions or doubts a woman may express when asked to join:
1.
2.
3.
How will you respond to those questions or doubts:
1.
2.
3.

STEP 2 Call a first meeting

Decide when and where to meet. Make sure it’s convenient for as many
women as possible.
Set an agenda that’s realistic for the available time. Make sure to include introductions so everyone feels
welcome.
Run the meeting in a way that allows everyone to participate. Encourage new and quiet sisters to speak, no
matter how briefly.
Ask for ideas and for help. Make sure no one ends up taking on all the tasks; it’s better to do less than burn
someone out.
Agree on the time and place for a next meeting. Make sure to collect everyone’s contact information so you can
send out a reminder, notes from this meeting, etc.
Have fun! Simple things like having coffee and cookies help make meetings more sociable and enjoyable.
End on or ahead of time.
STEP 3 What’s our mission?

F ind out what issues are important to women in the local by doing a simple
survey, such as the example in Getting Down to Work: Doing a survey to find
out what women think. Use the results to guide your committee’s mission and
to build an action plan.


Doing a survey to find out what women think
This is an example of a paper survey that committee members could hand out to women in the local. You
could also create an online survey, using SurveyMonkey or other free programs, or distribute an e-mail
survey if you had addresses for all women in the local. Whatever method you use, the key is to involve
women by consulting them, and to include every woman. Women’s Committee Survey
Name: Dept./Unit:
Position: Job Status (Perm./temp.):
What are the two most pressing issues for you?

a. Inside the workplace:
b. Outside the workplace:
How do you hope the Women’s Committee and your local could support you?
How can we reach you?

First language:
English  French  Other  Other languages you speak:
I need an interpreter 
 Talk in person Best times of day:
 Phone Your phone number(s):
Information meetings before work?  at lunch?  after work? 
 Information meetings at time
 Email Your email address(es):
 Local website How often do you check it? More than once a day  Once a day  Once every
week  Other 
 Flyer  Newsletter  Bulletin Board
 Facebook  Twitter  Other app
Thanks for your time. Please return this to

STEP 4 Create an action plan

A Women’s Committee will make a difference and will engage women’s
participation if it does things. In other words, it takes more than holding
meetings to put your mandate into action.
Your committee’s action plan should include activities related to at least some of the issues women in the local
told you were important to them. Your action plan should also include communications with members, input
into collective bargaining, sending women to courses, conferences and conventions, writing and moving
motions and resolutions for union meetings at all levels and political action. In other words, donating money and
supplies to good causes is important, but it shouldn’t be the only focus of your committee’s work.
Upstream
Where you find the root or cause of
the problem (laws, policies, institutions,
society’s beliefs) and the organizations
that advocate/educate for change:
such as increased government Downstream
funding for services, front-line
staff, and facilities; new laws; Where you find the people in need and the
provincial/federal action plans; organizations that help them: providing shelter,
inquiries; etc. food, clothing, and other life-sustaining
supports; raising money to keep their
services going or to expand them;
raising awareness about needs in
the community and countering
discrimination against people in need
You can use Getting Down to Work: Creating an Action Plan to organize your work. For ideas on activities, see 10
Ways a Women’s Committee Can Build an Inclusive Local on pages 27–28 and the section of this guide called Key
Issues for Women of Steel, starting on page 43. Brainstorming: A Technique for Generating New Ideas on page 30
suggests one creative way to choose goals and activities.
Also, consider the following when you put your plan together:
TT How does it act on issues of importance to TT Do you have allies in our union and in the
women in the local? community who can help?
TT Who has the power to do something about the TT Is it doable?
issues of concern to women in your local?
TT Is it fun?
TT Can you mobilize the women in your local to
get involved in this plan? TT If we can’t do it all at once, what are the
priorities?


Creating an action plan
An action plan is a way to take action on the issues important to women.

For each key issue your Women’s Committee decides to work on, identify the following information:
TT What success would look like (i.e., how you TT When they should take place (either by a
would know you are making a difference) specific date or during a timeframe)
TT Any challenges you anticipate TT What resources (i.e., money, materials) are
needed to carry them out
TT What activities or actions must take place
TT Communication (who should know what?)
TT Who will do what
You could use a chart like this:
Key Issue 1:
What would success on this issue look like?
What challenges might we face?
Activities Who does what By when Resources Communication
Key Issue 2:
Key Issue 3:

An example might look like:
Key Issue 1: Affordable child care

What would success on this issue look like? More women able to take on full-time jobs; working
parents spend less on child care, feel less stressed; more women/parents attending union events;
more quality child care spaces for more kids in our community.
What challenges might we face? Not everyone thinks women should work outside the home;
not everyone supports making the big investment in provincial/national child care programs; some
members may not support spending local money on a new initiative.

Join provincial/ Marina will Try to join within Money to pay Share fact
national research which two months from membership sheets with local
organizations organizations, cost now fee and to members, post to
working for better of membership support events local web page
child care and and report to our (rallies, lobbying or Facebook
take part in their next meeting politicians, etc.) and reference in
events Tracey will write committee report
a motion and to membership
move it at the meetings
next membership Notices of any
meeting upcoming events
to encourage
participation
Bargain a child- Amina will talk Over the next Some telephone Discussion and
care subsidy into to district WoS three months calls, research information-
our collective coordinator to to develop the on the internet sharing inside
agreement find sample proposal about language, Women’s
language By the next round local child- Committee, with
Once the of collective care fees and local president
committee has bargaining to typical subsidy and executive.
reviewed the get the proposal amounts Also mention in
options, Amina into the local’s committee report
and Sandy will demands to membership
meet with the meeting
local president
to learn dates of
next bargaining A good action plan will address the root
round causes of a problem, as well as trying to meet
immediate needs for help. Act “upstream” as
well as “downstream:”

Amend local Stephanie will Within the next six Some telephone Each committee
bylaws to find examples months calls to research member will
cover child- of wording in sample language discuss the idea
care expenses USW Guide with 2-3 other
for members for Women’s members with
attending Committees, school-age
approved union from district WoS children, seeking
events coordinator their support
Stephanie and Committee chair
Tracey will prepare will discuss with
speaking notes local president,
and a motion for presenting
presentation at a rationale
local meeting

How do we make it happen?
STEP 5
Now that you have an action plan, your Women’s Committee needs to know
where to find the necessary resources.
The Women’s Committee will often rely on its members to volunteer their time.
But local committees can also request funding from the local to make its action
plan a reality. That funding can cover things like lost time, travel, child care, meals, room rental and donations.
Make it a practice every year to develop a budget, based on your action plan, and submit it to the local’s
executive for consideration. The Women’s Committee will look organized and credible to the rest of the local.
A budget with an action plan helps you explain to others what the committee’s focus is and why you need the
money. And they will also help you allocate your time well and stay focussed!
Here are some tips for developing a Women’s Committee budget:

1. Develop a calendar for the local’s budgeting cycle and key events
TT Know the fiscal year of your local and when TT Find out when and how money is approved
things are approved in your local and when the Women’s
Committee budget would be considered
2. Review previous local annual financial statements for spending patterns
TT Note when large amounts are spent on international conventions, conferences, etc.
key/favourite items so you will know when Make sure the local is sending women to
NOT to ask for money. Ask a few months these events
before or after
TT Figure out ways to explain your
TT Pay attention to big events coming up committee’s work in ways that connect to
in the life of the local – for example, priorities of the local
3. Use the template in Getting Down to Work: Making a committee budget as a guide
TT Distinguish between administrative costs TT This helps people see that the committee’s
– the costs of getting people to meetings – work is not just sending people to meetings,
and program costs – the activities you want but that those meetings produce
your committee to organize and carry out something that benefits all local women
4. Look for other sources of revenue and resources
TT Think about joint work with other money you can access inside our union or
committees, such as Health and Safety from any government grant programs
or Human Rights, where you could work
together to maximize impact and resources TT Find out if your local contributes to the
USW Family and Community Education
TT Talk with your District Women’s Committee Fund. If it does, you might consider
to find out if they know of any pockets of accessing funding from it
5. Link your fundraising efforts to your programming
TT If you’re holding a fund-raising event, TT Consider donating some or all of the
organize it so that it helps you with the proceeds to a campaign or organization
committee’s recruitment goals, lobbying working to advance women’s equality in
efforts, or education aims the community

Making a committee budget
Use this as a template for creating your Women’s Committee budget:
Program costs
$
$
$
Administrative costs
$
$
$
Expected Fundraising Revenue

Event(s): $
Expected Revenue
Minus $
Expected Cost $
Total Projected Budget

Expenses $
Minus
Exepected Revenue $
Total Estimated Cost $
It’s okay to fundraise for special or non-core items, but Women’s Committees should not have
to hold raffles, sales, or other events for core programming such as sending members to courses
and conferences, holding meetings, and working with members and community partners.

Reporting Expenses
Consult with your local’s financial secretary to find out how to properly document and report expenses as well as
any monies raised.
Keep track of your expenses, and stay on budget. (If there are legitimate reasons why committee activities may
exceed the budget approved by the local, make sure to consult with and get the okay from the local executive
before spending more than has been approved.)
Be prepared to report on Women’s Committee activities at local membership meetings. Reporting shows that the
committee is responsible and accountable, and it also generates awareness and support.

STEP 6 Keep it happening!

Money isn’t the only thing a Women’s Committee needs to function smoothly.
You will also need to:
TT Divide up the responsibilities among the TT Make the committee visible and accessible
committee to share the work
TT Make committee involvement fun rather than a
TT Communicate with women in the workplace drain on energy
Sharing responsibilities
Elect or ask for a volunteer to act as the chairperson of your Women’s Committee. This person should preside over
meetings, keep order and make sure the agenda is followed. If shift work prevents a chairperson from presiding
at every committee meeting, rotate the responsibility or elect co-chairs. This will also give others the chance to
learn how to conduct a meeting.
Since the committee is accountable to all members, elect a recording secretary or ask for a volunteer to take
minutes of the meeting. Record all motions passed and actions to be taken. Pass on information to other
committees and to the local union executive. Volunteer to give a verbal report at each local membership meeting.
Decide how you will conduct committee meetings. Will you follow parliamentary procedure or Roberts’ Rules of
Order? Choose what works for your committee. Make sure a number of committee members learn how to chair a
meeting using your preferred process.
Ask for volunteers and share the workload among committee members. A committee where a few do all the
work is on the road to burnout for some and apathy for the many.
Making it fun
Besides sharing the workload, there are other ways to make sure Women’s Committee meetings are a pleasure to
attend.
TT Alternate the purpose of your meetings. Devote one meeting to education (watch a video on any topic
related to women’s rights, invite a speaker from a women’s campaign or organization), devote the next to
fun and wellness (go out for supper, meet for tea or wine and cheese, hold a family potluck) and devote
the third to regular business. Repeat the rotation.
TT Show appreciation for each other. Say thank you and congratulate each other on achievements.
Celebrate your successes!
Communicating
All committee members should take responsibility for keeping in touch with other women members in the
workplace talking to them face-to-face about current issues and events.
Your Women’s Committee can also use social media (a Facebook page, for example), email and text messages to
communicate within your committee and with women in your local. These forms of new media can be used to:
TT Share success stories TT Get RSVPs for meetings
TT Keep members informed about what the TT Remind members of upcoming events
Women’s Committee is doing
TT Mobilize members to show up at meetings
TT Recruit new volunteers for committee activities where key votes are taking place

Connect your committee sites with official USW accounts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and Instagram.
Encourage members to do the same.
Encourage conversation and healthy debate. That means: Be respectful of others and their opinions, and delete
inappropriate or disrespectful comments.
A “Basic New Media Guide” and training are available from USW’s New Media department. For the guide, to talk
about training, or for more in-depth information, contact newmedia@usw.ca.
Making committee events accessible
Hold meetings in places that are safe, have an elevator or no stairs and at times that are convenient. Local union
halls and district offices are often used for meetings but make sure that women feel comfortable entering and
leaving at night.
Provide child care and transportation when necessary. Start and end meetings on time.
Other ideas are:
TT Ask for time to meet at conferences and conventions.
TT Arrange to meet in the lunchroom at work.
TT Organize a potluck lunch or dinner at someone’s home.
Sometimes it’s hard to find a regular meeting time because of shift work or women’s family responsibilities.
And some locals are spread out over a very large geographic area, so face-to-face meetings are special events
that need to be organized and budgeted for. In these cases, using technologies like conference calls, Skype,
GoToMeeting or other digital tools can be an effective alternative.

STEP 7 Is it working?
From time to time, evaluate how your committee is doing.
Look at your action plan and see if you areachieving your goals. For example,
are new women coming out to your activities and meetings? Are you gaining co-operation from other local
committees in acting on key issues? Did yours motion get approved by the membership meeting?
Have a frank discussion among Women’s Committee members. Ask each of them to say what they think the
committee should:
TT Start doing TT Stop doing TT Continue doing
Invite feedback from others, too. Talk with or survey women in the local for their opinion on the committee’s work.
If you are stuck, remember that you can always turn to the Women of Steel support structure (see page 31) and
call someone for advice and assistance.

10 Ways a Women’s Committee Can Build an Inclusive Local

1. Start conversations, one-on-one, with women you don’t know
TT Speak to one member a week that you’ve never talked to before or rarely speak to. The next time you
see them, greet them by name
TT Practise asking questions to start conversations and really listen to the answers
TT Invite a woman to have coffee or come to a union meeting with you
2. Welcome new women to the workplace and to the local union
TT Introduce yourself and our union
TT Invite her to coffee and to meet others in the local union
TT If your local has a new-hire or new-member orientation program, ensure it includes information on the
Women’s Committee
3. Hold a half-hour lunch-and-learn or after-shift education session on a workplace issue that is im-
portant to women in your local
4. Create a regular time each week/every two weeks where women members can come and talk
about workplace and other issues. Provide coffee and tea
5. Get women elected to local positions
TT Support women activists to get on the bargaining committee, the grievance committee, other local
committees and local executive
TT Support women to attend training about being a steward, health and safety rep, or local officer and
about bargaining
TT Arrange for mentoring and other support, especially if training is not available at the start of the new
role
TT Get women together to identify the diversity of issues that most affect us. Share these with the local
executive and bargaining committee to ensure that these become bargaining priorities
6. Connect with the community
TT Find out what your members are already doing outside the workplace to promote justice. Think of
how the Women’s Committee or local could support these activities
TT Learn which First Nations and/or Métis group’s traditional land you live and work on. Build
connections between these communities and our union. Start union events by acknowledging their
traditional territory
TT Find out who is organizing and supporting migrant and immigrant workers in your area, and
volunteer, learn, and build connections between them and your local
TT Connect your local union to support minimum wage campaigns, anti-poverty initiatives, Aboriginal
justice initiatives, affordable housing and other organizing that’s happening in your area

TT Invite a speaker from a community organizing initiative and provide an honorarium or donation to
the group
TT Organize volunteers from the local union to attend or help out at events run by social justice
advocates in the community
TT Ask the local women’s shelter what items it most needs (clothing? children’s toys? toiletries?) and then
organize a collection drive among the membership
7. Connect with national women’s issues
TT “Like” USW’s Women of Steel Canada Facebook page or your district Women’s Committee page
TT Visit www.usw.ca/WomenofSteel to learn more about how our union is involved in national issues
TT Child care, ending violence against women, justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women,
and pay equity are all national as well as local issues. Invite speakers in from an organization working
on one of these issues
8. Get involved in electoral politics
TT Consider running for school-board trustee, city councillor, member of the provincial or territorial
legislature or for federal Parliament
TT Back the campaigns of other women candidates who are committed to social justice
TT Develop questions about women’s equality to ask candidates in upcoming elections
TT Get involved with the NDP in your area
TT Encourage women to vote and be politically active in their ridings to elect progressive candidates
9. Think Global
TT Find out about the Steelworkers Humanity Fund, and raise money for an initiative run by women in
another country.
Go to www.usw.ca/humanity
10. Help organize events in the community to mark key dates for women, such as:
TT March 8 (International Women’s Day)
TT April (Equal Pay Day; date can vary, depending on province/territory)
TT October 4 (National Day to Honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women)
TT December 6 (National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women)

Creating a Welcoming Cross-Cultural Environment

TT If offering food at your meetings, provide real options for people who are vegetarian, have health
conditions such as diabetes or avoid certain foods for religious reasons
TT Ensure food at your events is clearly labelled so people can make informed choices about what they
are eating
TT If in doubt, do not assume. Ask questions in a respectful and open manner and know that most
people welcome an environment where they can talk about their backgrounds
TT Take the time to learn how to pronounce and spell your members’ names accurately
TT When people do not get involved in union activities, don’t assume it is because they are not
interested. Ask questions about what might interest them or how they could see themselves getting
more involved
TT Avoid swearing and the use of aggressive language. People who are new to our union or to their jobs
may not be accustomed to this language and may feel intimidated about getting involved
TT When others are speaking, allow them time to express their opinions and try to respectfully answer
their questions
TT Make efforts to discourage cliques at your meetings. Build activities into meetings that provide opportunities
for everyone to get to know each other and ensure there are roles for everyone to get involved
TT When planning a large gathering, send out a questionnaire in advance to members asking about
accommodation of mobility needs, food needs, child care, etc.
TT Don’t make negative comments or jokes about people’s clothing, food, accent, way of speaking, etc.
TT Hold events in places where washrooms are gender neutral and accessible to all bodies, whether
walking or in a wheelchair Adapted from OPSEU Cross Cultural Communication course
Each local union sets its own expense policy. As long as locals comply with the USW Constitution, locals can make policy to
address particular needs. Some locals have taken steps to ensure that members with children are not excluded from participation
in union events. Child-care expense coverage benefits parents/guardians whether they are male or female. But given that women
still bear most of the load for family responsibilities, child-care expense coverage really helps Women of Steel!
Here are two examples of policy language from USW locals:
“When an elected or appointed delegate is attending a convention, conference or course, the local will pay up to a maximum of
$75.00 per child per day provided receipts are submitted confirming the expense. Child care costs that would normally occur had
the delegate been at his/her workplace or child care provided by a spouse or companion will not be reimbursed. Any request for
child care other than those covered by this bylaw must be submitted in advance to the Executive Committee for their approval.”
(USW Local 1998 (University of Toronto) Bylaws Section 6(b))
“That members on official [local] sanctioned business, unit general or executive meetings or to [local] approved labour courses,
be reimbursed for additional costs incurred for child care. The additional costs shall be determined by the differences between
normal working day costs and the actual costs incurred. Any exceptional child care expenses shall require prior approval of the
Secretary-Treasurer.” (TWU USW 1944 Financial Policy 5.07)


Brainstorming: A Technique for Generating New Ideas

If your Women’s Committee is in a rut or is just looking for new and creative ideas for what to do, try
brainstorming. Invite committee members and some other women who aren’t on the committee. A room full of
like-minded people won’t generate as many creative ideas as a diverse group!
You will need a flipchart stand, paper and a marker. Make sure everyone can sit comfortably and see the flipchart.
Here’s what to do:
1. Ask one person to record the ideas on flipchart paper
2. Clearly define the question (for example, “What activities will fire up women in our local about demand-
ing affordable child care in our community?”)
3. Make it clear that your goal is to generate as many ideas as possible. No idea is too impractical to go on
the list
4. Ask women to call out their ideas
5. Write down every idea, without any judgement or criticism
6. When one flipchart sheet is three-quarters full, tape it to a wall and use a fresh sheet
7. Don’t be afraid of silence; wait for more ideas to come!
8. Only once everyone is really out of ideas, thank them for their contribution
Now the group can start to evaluate the ideas. Start by eliminating the ones that the group agrees are illegal
or too expensive or too risky. Don’t be surprised if someone suggests a new idea or a way to modify one of the
ideas already on the list. Keep going until you are left with a reasonable number.
If you want to rank the ideas, ask each woman to indicate the top two or three that she would take part in by
making a checkmark beside those ideas on the flipchart list.
National National
Women’s Education
and Equality
Committee Department
District District
Women’s Women of Steel Women of
Committee Support Structure Steel
Co-ordinator
Local Union
Women of Staff
Steel Representative
Committee

Getting Things Done

Where Do We Fit In?
To run an effective Women’s Committee, it is important to understand the structure of our union. This will allow
the committee to direct questions, suggestions, and requests to the appropriate person or place.
If you are unsure of who or where to turn to, use the Women of Steel support structure (p.31). Your local union
executive, staff representative, district Women’s Committee chair and district Women of Steel co-ordinator are
your first lines of support.
Taking Part in Your Local Union
Local unions, and individual units within an amalgamated local, are the foundation of the United Steelworkers.
They are administered by an executive, which is made up of officers – president, vice-president, recording
secretary, financial secretary, and treasurer – elected by the membership every three years.
The main rules for how the local union operates are set out in the local’s bylaws. Your local may use the standard USW
Bylaws for Local Unions or USW Bylaws for Amalgamated Local Unions. Or it may have a separate, approved set of bylaws.
Locals can add to or amend bylaws to meet specific needs of their membership, as long as those changes are
in keeping with our union’s constitution. (For example, meetings held at 7 p.m. may be impossible for people to
attend if they have child or elder-care responsibilities. You can propose changing meeting times and the location
to be more accessible.)
A lot of decision-making about local business takes place at general membership meetings. There, members
can make and vote on motions. Motions address things like sending members to courses and conferences,
spending money on projects, changing the local’s bylaws, and supporting campaigns launched by our union or
by community organizations.
Women’s Committee members need to know how to write and move motions, how to speak about why local
members should vote in favour of motions and how to mobilize supporters to attend meetings and vote.
And the committee is accountable to the local union. The chair or a member should report to each general
membership meeting, even briefly. (If a Women’s Committee report is not on the agenda, ask to amend the
agenda to include one.) Making reports helps make the committee visible, educate members and builds
solidarity for your work.
Working with Other Committees
Our union’s constitution requires local unions to have these committees: Grievance, Safety and Health, Workers’
Compensation, Human Rights, Organizing, and Women’s. Local unions may also create other committees, based on
the needs of the local, such as an Education Committee, a Pay Equity Committee, a Political Action Committee, an
Entertainment Committee, a Building Committee, a Trades Committee or a Labour-Management Committee.
There may also be committees on some of these same issues at the area, regional, district and national level.
It is useful for your Women’s Committee to know which committees exist in your local (and beyond) and who
sits on them. Depending on what your committee’s action plan includes, you may want to work together with
another committee, share information or seek a committee’s support.
Your Women’s Committee should also encourage sisters to seek election or appointment to committees,
especially in your local union.
Use a tool like this so members of your Women’s Committee know which people in the local to contact for
information and support.


How to Contact your Local Executive and Committees
USW local #: Stand Alone  Amalgamated 
Units in your local (if amalgamated)

District Office Staff Rep
Date of election of officers (General Membership Meeting)
Officers Names Mailing Address E-mail Telephone
President
Vice-President
Recording Secretary
Financial Secretary
Treasurer
Chief Steward
Women’s Committee
Chair
Grievance Committee
Chair
Health and Safety
Committee Chair
Bargaining Committee
Chair
Human Rights Committee
Chair
Other Committee Chair


Connecting with Human Rights Committees
The USW Constitution asks each local union to have a Human Rights Committee. If your local has one, your
Women’s Committee should think about how each committee can support the other’s work.
Women are more than “only” women! We have a race, an ethnic identity, a sexual orientation and
different physical and mental abilities, to name just a few. So the issues that the Human Rights
Committee choses to work on can be important for racialized women, Aboriginal women, women
with disabilities and LGBTQ+ women.
Here are some things your Women’s Committee can do:
TT Plan to hold a joint meeting to identify areas of common concern
TT Reach out to any women who sit on the Human Rights Committee and invite their input
TT Work together with the Human Rights Committee to plan events for Black History Month,
National Aboriginal Day, Pride month, October 4 (national day to honour missing and
murdered Indigenous women), etc.
TT When recruiting women to join the committee or attend courses and conferences, look for
and support women from a range of races, languages, sexual orientations, ages and abilities.
TT When working on issues of concern to women, think how the issue affects women differently
depending on race or ability or other characteristics so that committee actions are relevant to
all members
Organizing
Workers’ Committee Bargaining
Compensation Committee
Committee
Local Officers
Grievance President Women’s
Committee Committee
Vice President
Recording Secretary
Human Financial Secretary Health & Safety
Rights Treasurer Committee
Committee
Labour
Management
Committee
Employer

Bargaining
Women’s Committees should support and engage with the bargaining process, by, for example:
TT Surveying women members’ needs
TT Helping the negotiating committee better understand the impact of workplace problems on women and
women’s equality
TT Letting the negotiating committee know that
the Women’s Committee is willing to back
them up if negotiations get difficult. USW Local 1-207 was trying to bargain leave-of-absence language
for members experiencing domestic violence, but the employer’s
TT Getting women elected or appointed to the committee was unconvinced. So at the bargaining table, the union’s
negotiating committee spokesperson showed a PowerPoint/video presentation, designed
by USW’s National Women’s Committee as part of an anti-violence
Winning a provision in a collective agreement does
campaign. And the employer agreed to the leave language.
not only happen at the bargaining table. Build
alliances and partners in your work for change. Talk
to other members about your ideas and why you
think adding to the collective agreement will make workers’ lives better. Their reactions might help you to further
define the proposal and identify possible solutions or strategies for change. The Women’s Committee can also
help design resource materials to encourage other members to support a proposal that seems new or outside-of-
the-norm for the sector.
Many issues may also be addressed during the life of the collective agreement. Keep track of the issues and
complaints raised by your committee. Work with the local executive and other local committees to design a
strategy to address these issues, for example, at labour-management meetings or other joint processes.
Contact your staff representative or check our union’s website for USW bargaining policies, bargaining guides and
recommended collective agreement language on a variety of issues.
Conferences and Conventions

The USW holds conventions and conferences to develop policies and build activism on labour and community issues:
TT The International Constitutional Convention (held every 3 years)
TT The Canadian National Policy Conference (held every 3 years)
TT District conferences (frequency decided by each district)
Delegates to these policy-making meetings are elected by the local union membership. Your Women’s
Committee can take steps to nominate and vote for women to be sent to these important events.
Locals can also submit resolutions to the International Constitutional Convention and the National Policy
Conference. Resolutions are an important way for your Women’s Committee to draw attention to and get action
on issues important to women in your local. Use “Getting Down to Work: Writing Motions and Resolutions” to help
put your ideas into proper shape. Remember: you must first pass any resolutions at a membership meeting and
build support to have them approved!
Finally, USW belongs to labour councils, provincial/territorial federations of labour and the Canadian Labour
Congress. These bodies all hold regular conventions, to which USW locals can send delegates and resolutions.
These venues are good places to develop skills, learn more about the labour movement and take action on
important issues. Women’s Committees can also work to elect delegates and send resolutions to these events.



Writing Motions and Resolutions
A motion is a proposal on the floor of a local meeting. It requires a seconder and can be debated
before the vote is called. Sometimes the recording secretary will ask you for a written copy to
ensure accuracy in the minutes.
Examples:
TT I move adoption of the proposed budget for this year’s Women’s Committee program.
TT I move that the local send two women members to the next Women of Steel: Developing
Leadership course and cover all associated costs.
TT I move that the local adopt the following policy: Members on official USW-sanctioned
business; unit, general or executive meetings; and USW approved courses be reimbursed for
additional costs incurred for child care. The additional costs should be determined by the
differences between normal working day costs and the actual costs incurred. Any exceptional
child care expenses shall require prior approval of the local executive.
A resolution is a proposal presented to larger bodies like the USW National Policy Conference
or your provincial or territorial federation of labour. Because resolutions are always circulated in
advance of debate, they are structured to include a reason for the proposal.
Examples:
Bargaining Child Care Clauses
Whereas high child care costs and poor service availability negatively affect USW members who
are parents, preventing their full participation in their workplaces and our union; and
Whereas quality, affordable, universal child care not only enhances the equality of women, but also
has a positive impact on the overall economy.
Therefore Be It Resolved that the United Steelworkers encourage local unions to bargain
collective agreement language regarding the provision of child care and/or resources for child care
for members; and
Be It Further Resolved that staff and activists be trained and provided with resources necessary
to successfully negotiate and enforce the child care provisions in collective agreements and
workplace policies; and
Be It Further Resolved that the United Steelworkers engage with and support organizations
at the provincial and national levels which lobby governments to implement affordable, quality
public child care programs.
(Passed at the 2016 National Policy Conference)

Income Disparity
Whereas our employers are earning record profits while the wages of working families
stagnate; and
Whereas the disparity between production, 74% growth, and hourly compensation, 9%
growth, has continued to expand since 1973; and
Whereas precarious work conditions and associated numbers of working poor are on the
rise; and
Whereas women continue to earn, on average, 30% less than men for work of equal value;
and
Whereas racial income disparity means that in the U.S. the median non-racialized family
income is 16 times that of a racialized family income; and for Canada, the median income
for racialized persons in 2005 was $19,100 compared to $27,100 for non-racialized persons;
and
Whereas the union stands for living wages for all.
Therefore Be It Resolved that:
1. Our union will support full pay equity in all collective agreements and work-
places.
2. Our union will support increasing the minimum wage to a living wage.
3. Our union will promote a campaign about the socioeconomic impact of income
disparity.
4. Our union will support and resource a Job Evaluation System that accurately
reflects worker skills, responsibilities, effort and working conditions.
(Submitted to the 2017 USW International Convention)
Conferences
District conferences are informative union events as well as very useful tools for all local union activists:
TT You meet and share union stories with other members TT You participate in panel discussions and breakout groups
TT You learn how to present an idea, thought or strategy to large TT You meet face to face with the leaders of our union and have
groups of your peers the opportunity to chat with them about what’s on your mind
How We Get There

Local unions may send as many delegates as they would like (within their financial capabilities) to District conferences. The local makes this
decision at a General Membership Meeting, so make sure you are there for the discussion, decision making, nominations and voting. You may
nominate yourself to attend the conference.
It is important to have support at the meeting. Brothers and sisters may speak in favour of your nomination; they will also provide votes for
you. Be prepared to explain why your local would benefit from sending you as a delegate to the conference.
Written by the District 3 Women’s Committee

Organizing Your Motion Form

Use this form to organize your thoughts and support before you put a motion on the floor
of your local meeting.
Motion moved by
Motion seconded by
Names of other members who say they will support and/or speak to this motion:
I move that:
Reasons for the motion: Unlike a resolution, the rationale is not formally part of the motion,
but may form part of the speaking notes of the mover of the motion, once the motion is on the
floor. It may also be part of the written record of the meeting.
Meeting date, time and location:


Elections
The United Steelworkers is a democratic union because local officers (president, vice president, recording
secretary, financial secretary, treasurer, guard, guides and trustees) and the grievance committee are elected by
local union members every three years. And international officers, the Canadian director and district directors are
elected by direct vote of members every four years.
Women’s Committees help ensure resources and support are available to women who are interested in seeking
an elected position. A Steelworker’s Guide to Running for Union Office provides activists with descriptions of
each elected position and tips on how to run a successful campaign. Copies are available on our web page at
www.usw.ca/WomenofSteel or from your staff representative or the Canadian National Office.
Steelworkers Education
The more members who are trained and active, the better we are at meeting the needs of our members,
reaching out to the unorganized and working for political change to benefit our families and communities.
Steelworker courses are developed by our union’s Education Department and are taught by Steelworkers.
Courses include USW Women’s Committees: Leading Together and Women of Steel Developing Leadership.
There are also courses for stewards, bargaining committee members, human rights activists, health and safety
activists, local officers and more. (Contact your District Education Coordinator for more information, or visit www.
usw.ca/education.)
When USW members attend education courses, all costs (course fee, travel, accommodation, per diems and lost
wages) are covered by the local. As well, scholarships are distributed by the district office to staff representatives
for use by local unions to offset some of the costs.
Your Women’s Committee can support women to attend USW courses in several ways:
TT Some districts have a calendar
of upcoming courses. If you
The following resolution was drafted by Local 9288 to ensure the local union executive
see (or hear about) a course
would reflect the membership. The resolution, passed by two-thirds of the members at
that sisters should attend,
the regular local union meeting, amended the local’s bylaws.
make a motion at a general
membership meeting to send WHEREAS, there is a need and a desire for affirmative action at the executive level; and
them. WHEREAS, the constitution of the workplace is approximately 50 per cent women.
TT If a course women want is not BE IT RESOLVED THAT the United Steelworkers Local 9288 adopt a policy ensuring
on the calendar, speak with that at all times either the president or the vice president of the local will be a woman.
your local executive or your BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the above policy become a bylaw of Local Union 9288.
staff representative.
TT Get involved in your area
council’s or region’s education
committee, if there is one, that requests Steelworker courses. You can help to ensure courses are offered
that are of interest to and meet the needs of women members.
TT Survey members about their needs and when courses are best held.
Women can do more than attend courses. We can also facilitate them. Facilitator-training courses are offered
periodically in each district. Sisters who are interested in this union role should let their local leadership and staff
representative know.

Our union also has other educational opportunities, including:

TT Rudychuk Scholarship Placement Program: individual activists work alongside servicing staff
representatives doing the day-to-day work of our union (collective bargaining, organizing, arbitration,
health and safety, education, political action and human rights). Restricted to participants in USW’s
Leadership Development Scholarship program, there is one Rudychuk placement annually in each district
in Canada. Placements are approved by the director and last for one to two months.
TT Leadership Development Scholarship Program: Over a four-year period, participants attend four one-
week-long training sessions that aim to expand their strategic planning and leadership abilities. District
directors nominate activists to the program. Each district is allotted seats based on membership numbers.
Your Women’s Committee can educate women members about these opportunities. Interested members should
let their local president and staff representative know about their desire to take part.
Many sisters who have taken Women of Steel courses have become leaders in their local unions and beyond.
Here are some of the things you’ll learn in the two courses:
Women of Steel: Developing Leadership
TT Know key struggles for diverse women’s TT Identify your own strengths and areas for
equality improvement as a leader
TT Discuss how discrimination and privilege TT Feel more confident to speak up when
shape our experience at work and in the union something is unfair
TT Learn about the different positions and TT Analyze systemic barriers to diverse women’s
committees in the local and how to access them participation in the local
TT Know how the local connects to USW and the TT Strategize actions women can take to reduce
global union and social movements harassment and other barriers to women
TT Become more familiar with the USW constitution TT Organize a problem-solving meeting
and basic rules of order for a meeting
TT Speak at a meeting using rules of order
USW Women’s Committees: Leading Together

TT Develop some indicators of an effective local TT Develop a year’s plan for your local Women’s
Women’s Committee Committee
TT Identify gaps in our knowledge about women TT Practice presenting and winning support for
and their issues in our locals Women’s Committee work back in the local
TT Identify opportunities to talk to women members
Online Resources
TT Connect the work of the Women’s Committee You will find useful tools and information in the Women of Steel
to the priorities of the local section of the USW website under the heading Get Involved or
at www.usw.ca/womenofsteel.
TT Draft a budget for the Women’s Committee’s work
Check out your district’s website for additional Women of Steel
TT Develop motions that advance equality in the local information.
TT Practice opening a focused conversation with Ask your local union, area council or staff representative for
a group of women copies of the local bylaws and the USW Constitution.


Connecting with NextGen
Next Generation (NextGen) is a program to inspire and educate union members who are 35 and
younger. It provides opportunities for mentoring and leadership development, along with union and
community activism.
NextGen honours our union’s strong past, protects our present and aims to make our union vibrant
and relevant for the future by sparking a lifetime of union and community activism.
Activating NextGen members is a good thing for your local. Canadians between 18 and 35 approve of
unions, more so than other generations. It increases union participation, letting the local tap into the
energy and experience of more members. When young workers are active in our union, we all learn
to better understand the challenges they face.
TT Try to ensure that at least one member of your committee TT When working on issues of concern to women, think
is a NextGen member whether the issue affects women differently depending
on their age so that committee actions are relevant to all
TT Support motions at local membership meetings to send members
NextGen members to courses and other union events
To find out more information about USW’s NextGen program, visit www.usw.ca/nextgen.

Connecting with SOAR
SOAR: the Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees, is a terrific resource for members looking
for advice, guidance and inspiration from retired Women of Steel who have faced similar struggles
and appreciate the opportunity to share their stories and experiences. And members are active and
interested in helping you!
Here are some things you could do:
TT With the help of your staff representative, contact active TT Many women workers are concerned about planning for
retirees to join your committee, speak on a specific issue their retirement. Members of SOAR can help people plan
or help you in a particular campaign. and prepare as well as provide a network of support.
TT Grandparents are also facing a child-care crunch if they TT Find out the name and number of the contact person for
help provide care for grandchildren or as they see their SOAR in your area, for future reference.
adult children try to cope. SOAR members could be
interested in working with the Women’s Committee on a
child-care campaign.

Key Issues for Women of Steel

Pay Equity
Regardless of where you work in Canada, there is a clear gender wage gap. In other words, women earn less
on average than men. And the wage gap is much higher for women of color, Indigenous women, women with
disabilities, LGBTQ women and immigrant women.
Unions are usually successful at ensuring equal pay for equal work. But that alone does not eliminate the gender
pay gap. Pay equity, or equal pay for work of equal value, means eliminating the systemic undervaluing of
female-dominated jobs or professions. Even with a union, women workers can still be concentrated in lower-
paying job classifications because the work is still seen as less important or easier (caring for the elderly, for
example). Even with a union, women are more likely to work part-time and to take time off (often unpaid) for
family responsibilities, resulting in lower pensions and benefits.
Some provinces in Canada have formal pay-equity legislation with (relatively) clear processes for employers and
unions to follow. In those places, our union can still play an active role through involvement in job evaluation and
ensuring that the employer is living up to their pay-equity obligations.
But in jurisdictions with no pay-equity legislation, nothing will happen without an active push from women and
our union.
Even without good laws, we have the power to reduce the gender wage gap through collective bargaining.
Women can use the bargaining table to win gender-neutral job evaluation systems, training opportunities to
enter higher paying jobs, fewer steps in wage grids, top-ups while on leave, pension improvements and better
benefits for part-time workers, to name just a few.
Visit www.usw.ca/WomenofSteel to find the complete guide, Closing the Gender Wage Gap – We Can Do it through
Collective Bargaining.
Women’s Health and Safety

All workers are concerned about the effects work might be having on their health. Our union is a leader in health
and safety activism.
But we’re realizing that, in many cases, workplaces, machines, personal protective equipment and safety
programs have been designed to suit male workers. After all, it’s only since the 1980s that women have entered
the workforce in significant numbers.
Your Women’s Committee can advocate for women’s health and safety and work with the local’s health
and safety committee because:
TT Even when a workplace hazard affects both TT Protective clothing and equipment can be
women and men, women may be at greater or inadequate or even dangerous if it does not
different risk because of differences between properly fit women’s bodies or if it cannot be
men and women’s bodies easily removed to go to the bathroom
TT Women face different risks depending on where TT Lack of adequate, accessible toilet facilities can
we are at in our reproductive cycle (for example, result in urinary tract infections and unsanitary
when pregnant, when menstruating, while going conditions
through menopause)


Women’s Mental Health
It is very difficult to define stress. But we know that it can harm our physical and mental health.
Sexual harassment, domestic violence, discrimination, lack of pay equity, job and family responsibility
demands, lack of child care and its high costs, caring for elderly or sick or disabled relatives, the design
of the job (ergonomics), electronic monitoring and too much supervision, job insecurity and fear of
layoffs and unemployment all contribute to stress.
TT Survey members about sources of stress
TT Think about how the organization of work (schedules, job duties) and the physical structure of the workplace could be
changed to better accommodate the needs of workers and reduce stress
TT Negotiate a child-care allowance or flex time to help relieve some of the stress parents feel in juggling family responsibilities
TT Negotiate paid leaves of absence for workers experiencing domestic violence and train members to help them access support
at work and in the community
TT Negotiate a joint anti-harassment policy and an education program for all workers and supervisors on discrimination and
harassment in the workplace
TT Ensure union events are harassment-free and accessible to all workers
TT Negotiate strong job-security provisions: restrictions on contracting out, limits on part-time work, enhanced severance and
retirement provisions
TT Negotiate benefit coverage that includes all workers
TT Negotiate a job evaluation system to implement equal pay for work of equal value
TT Identify community programs and agencies that provide counselling and support to victims of harassment or violence; many
local unions have negotiated Employee Assistance Plans
TT Attend USW’s multi-day course on mental health and/or arrange for a short presentation in your workplace or at a union
event
TT Organize social events and opportunities inside and outside of the workplace to help build solidarity and support within the
bargaining unit

TT
TT Poorly designed shower and other facilities can know the workplace location and may harass or
put women at risk of harassment and violence attack in or near work
TT An unsafe workplace culture can put women at risk TT If a workplace is not prepared to properly
of violence and of sexual and racial harassment accommodate workers who are transitioning
gender, they can experience harassment,
TT Abusive boyfriends, husbands and partners violence and mental stress

TT Create a survey for women to get them thinking to do a workplace health and safety audit,
and talking about their health paying particular attention to the design of the
workplace and the job to see how the work can
TT Arrange a presentation on USW’s Domestic be modified to reduce identified accident and
Violence at Work initiative or another women’s health risks for women
health issue for your next committee meeting
TT Find out how many days of work have been
TT Investigate creating a system of domestic lost due to illness and how many lost-time
violence first-responders in your local to support accidents have been reported in the past year
members experiencing domestic violence in your workplace. Compare statistics for men
TT Ask your local’s health and safety committee and women, to see if there are any significant
differences
TT
Harassment
Harassment is wrong. It devalues workers and it destroys their self-worth and confidence inside and outside the
workplace.
Harassment can be based on factors including gender, race, age, physical or mental ability, sexual orientation or
personal dislike. No matter what its guise, it is one person’s attempt to demonstrate power over another person.
Our goal is to achieve harassment-free workplaces, union courses and conferences. We know that harassment
destroys union solidarity. And it can poison the work environment, affecting work performance and endangering
the safety of the worker and his or her co-workers. Undermining someone’s personal dignity and pride,
harassment, if unchallenged, can lead to accidents and prolonged illness.
USW has a wide range of resources to combat harassment, including the United Steelworkers Guide to
Preventing and Dealing with Harassment. Visit our website and click on Human Rights and Equity under the Get
Involved tab.
Child Care
Having affordable, quality child care enables parents to hold down full-time or steady work without breaking the
family budget. For lower-income or single parents (who are mostly women), it’s even more important. And all
working parents can better balance work and family if they know their children are safe, thriving and happy.
Almost 70 per cent of mothers with children under five are working. But Canada lacks a national child-care
system. There are only enough regulated spaces for about 19 per cent of children aged 12 and under. It’s even
harder to find spaces for infants and toddlers, children with disabilities, Aboriginal and rural children.

For many families, child care is the second highest expense after housing. In most of Canada, child care subsidies
are hard to come by or are designed so that even low-income parents have to cover high out-of-pocket costs.
Quebec’s child-care program increased the number of women in the workforce. Research has shown that
Quebec’s investment in its $7-a-day child-care program has more than paid for itself through mothers’ annual
income and consumption taxes.
Along with other unions and child-care organizations, USW is lobbying for a national child-care program
developed collaboratively with the provinces and Indigenous communities. We want stable funding to build
a public, accessible and affordable child-care system that is accessible and affordable for all families, inclusive
regardless of where families live in Canada or whether they are in or out of the workforce or work non-standard
hours. The national program must also include culturally appropriate Indigenous early childhood education, and
provide a living wage and decent working conditions to those providing the care.

Violence against Women and Domestic Violence at Work

Violence against women and girls is a huge problem in Canada. One in three Canadian women over the age of
16 experiences sexual assault in her lifetime. Aboriginal women, women of colour and transgender face greater
risks of violence.
Because Aboriginal women are four-to-five times more likely to be victims of homicide, USW continues to
demand an effective national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and fast, meaningful
implementation of its recommendations. And Women’s Committees, as well as local unions, are educating men
on the key role they play in ending violence against women. It starts with refusing to join in conversations or
jokes that demean women and telling other men that such behaviour is not okay.
One in 3 workers have experienced domestic violence, according to a survey done in 2014 by the Canadian Labour
Congress. The vast majority of the victims are women. Just over half said the violence followed them to work, in the form
of abusive email messages and telephone calls, being followed to work or right into the workplace, and abusive calls and
messages to co-workers, supervisors and managers.
Over 80% of domestic violence victims report that their work performance was negatively affected. Absenteeism
and poor work performance can leave victims vulnerable to discipline. Almost 10% said they had lost a job
because of domestic violence.
Women with a history of domestic violence have to change jobs more often, are more likely to work in casual
and part-time jobs, and therefore have lower personal incomes than women without experiences of violence.
The financial security of a job can allow women to escape abusive relationships and maintain a decent standard
of living for themselves and their children.
USW can play an important role in ending violence against women and girls. At the bargaining table, we can negotiate
leave-of-absence language and other supports for members experiencing domestic violence. And we can train
members to provide peer support through a system of domestic violence first responders. For sample bargaining
language and convincing arguments to use with the employer, check out Bargaining Guide: Addressing Domestic
Violence in USW Collective Agreements on our website at www.usw.ca/anti-violence.
Your Women’s Committee can also engage in political action to end violence. Lobby provincial and territorial
politicians to improve funding to women’s shelters and to include domestic violence leave of absence provisions
in employment standards legislation. Lobby federal politicians to create a national action plan on violence
against women.

Organizing: Spread the Word

The future of our union depends on our ability to attract and encourage new members to build a union in all
workplaces.
We need to find ways of connecting with workers in non-unionized workplaces. We need to spread the word.
The advantages of being part of a union are clear:
TT Better wages and benefits TT Job security
TT Fair working conditions TT Safer workplaces
TT Respect and a voice at work TT Access to a grievance and arbitration procedure
Reach out to non-unionized women. Help them organize and continue to build a stronger union!


Building Solidarity and a Stronger Union:
Organizing New Members
A majority of women work in non-unionized workplaces across our economy. These workplaces are
often small, wages are low and working conditions are poor with little job security. Working together
with other member-organizers, USW women are often best able to reach these unorganized women
to talk about the benefits of joining a union and negotiating a collective agreement. Women activists
and organizers provide important role models to new and potential members as they develop
leadership skills, self-esteem and confidence in our union.
TT Invite your staff representative or organizer to a committee meeting to talk about organizing
TT Identify three workplaces in your community that are unorganized
TT Ask neighbours and acquaintances (potential new members) about their working conditions and mention the benefits of
forming a union at their workplace. Speak about how you personally benefit from being a member of USW
TT Work within the local and our union to ensure that women’s issues (e.g., pay equity, ending violence, balancing work and
family, women’s health and safety) are a priority for our union.
TT Work with community groups on various issues (e.g., violence, harassment, pay equity, employment equity, human
rights)
TT Promote solidarity among women by participating in demonstrations or events on International Women’s Day or December 6,
the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
TT Talk about and share social media posts about what our union has done for all women, for workers of colour, for Aboriginal
workers and for other workers seeking full equality
TT Talk about our union and its membership with neighbours, friends and acquaintances in stores, restaurants, child care
centres, etc.
TT Share resources with other women’s groups (e.g., USW policy statements, research, posters)
TT Develop a local newsletter to educate and promote awareness about women’s issues
TT Participate in school visits and set up an information kiosk at college and university job fairs
TT Visit the USW website to learn more at www.usw.ca/join

Political Action:
Changing the Power Structure Over Our Jobs
Most aspects of our jobs and our human rights are determined by government regulations and legislation.
Government policies set the limits of how we are treated on the job and what changes we can make: from health
and safety laws to maternity leave provisions, overtime rules, pension structures and bargaining power.
Many of the gains we’ve won in USW collective agreements (including those crucially important to women) are
now shared by all workers, because they’ve been written into law. Unions, feminists and community activists over
the years worked hard to elect politicians who have supported strong labour laws, health and safety provisions
and social legislation to protect workers, women and our families. We, trade unionists, can be proud of these
accomplishments.
It is also true that many of the changes we still need to make – from domestic violence leave, Indigenous rights,
safety enforcement and childcare – require government action.
Making political change needs to be done both during elections (through campaigns) and between elections
(by lobbying). USW is strongly committed to achieving change for our members, our families and our community
through election campaigning and political lobbying.
Political action should be an important element of your Women’s Committee action plan.
Direct support and participation by Locals and Women’s Committees in community building and charity work –
like local women’s shelters and programs for disadvantaged kids – can help with immediate needs. We also need
to take action on the root causes of problems, like ending violence against women and eliminating poverty.
Acting on the big issues means getting political.


Lobbying for Change
One of the best ways to take political action between elections is to lobby politicians, whether
at the municipal, provincial/territorial, or federal level. Our USW Guide to Effective Lobbying is a
great resource. It can be found on our website in the For Members section, under the ‘Local Union
Resources and Training’ subsection.
Here are a few tips for organizing a successful lobbying effort:
TT Know your issue: Before you contact the politician, go over the points you want to make and the action you would like the
politician to take. Be prepared to educate the politician.
TT Know your objectives: Be clear about what you want them to do: speak in support of your position? Vote a certain way?
Each politician lobbied should be asked to satisfy a specific request.
TT Prepare to tell a personal story: Personal stories are powerful tools for change. Think of a way to tell the politician how the
issue affects you, your family and your community.
TT Organize a lobby team: Conversation flows more easily when lobbyists can fill in each other’s gaps. Having others with you
can boost confidence and comfort.
TT Set up a meeting: Call the politician’s local constituency office. Tell them the purpose of the meeting, how many people are
coming, and that the meeting will be brief (15-20 minutes).
TT Once you’re there:
TT Be friendly, polite and patient.
TT Listen carefully and don’t argue.
TT Take notes.
TT Make the visit memorable by taking a photo with the politician and leaving a USW pin or button.
TT Leave information about the issue and your position.
TT Thank them for the visit, regardless of the outcome. After the meeting, send a thank you note, reminding them of what you
asked them to do.
TT Debrief. Talk over the experience with your group. Compare impressions. Was it a positive meeting? What did you learn about
the politician’s views? Did you learn something that could improve future presentations?
TT Follow up. If you don’t hear anything in a week or so, phone or write. If you have a picture of you or your lobby group with the
politician, send it along with a note reminding them of any commitment that they made to you.
TT Spread the word! You worked hard. Even if the lawmaker didn’t make a commitment to support our issues, you took a step
toward making change to improve our workplaces, families and communities. Report back to your Women’s Committee and to
the local executive about the lobby and encourage them to join you next time.


Become Active in Elections and the NDP
One of the important things your Women’s Committee can do for your union and your community is
to get politically active. Elections are your best opportunity to have an impact on who has power and
what issues are on the agenda.
Our union encourages our members to be politically engaged. We encourage critical thought and
active involvement. Fighting for women’s equality and human rights are central to our political
involvement.
Our union specifically supports the New Democratic Party (NDP) because of its democratic principles
and its long-standing support for feminist and pro-labour policies.
Together, the labour movement and the NDP have made a difference in Canada. Together, labour
and the party have successfully campaigned for universal health care, government training,
unemployment insurance, pay equity, expanded maternity leave and the protection of social
programs.
For women, the NDP is the true party of gender equality and women’s rights, a consistent advocate
for universal affordable childcare, fighting for equal pay and eliminating violence against women and
girls.
Steelworkers helped form the NDP and we’re proud of our continued partnership today. Working
together with the NDP, Steelworkers are at the forefront of important campaigns for fairness and
justice for workers and for women. From improved pension security and protecting public health
care, to fighting for women’s equality, the NDP is our partner in politics.
What can your Women’s Committee do?
TT Encourage committee members to become members of provincial and federal elections and mobilize other
the New Democratic Party women and men to support their campaigns
TT Get active in your local NDP riding association TT During election campaigns, organize members of your
Women’s Committee to volunteer in the local NDP campaign
TT Make a motion at a local meeting to have your local union
affiliate to the New Democratic Party TT Attend NDP meetings and conventions to make sure
your concerns are reflected in the party’s policies and
TT Make connections with elected NDP women and the resolutions
Women’s Issues critic provincially and federally and
support their events and initiatives TT Get involved in NDP women’s organizations as a way to
meet other women activists and find out about important
TT Invite a speaker from the NDP to come to your next campaigns that you and your Women’s Committee can join
Women’s Committee meeting
TT Encourage women to become candidates in municipal,

In Summary: You’re Not Alone!

We hope this guide will help your Women’s Committee. After reading it, you should be able to pinpoint some of
the areas in which you feel your Women’s Committee has been successful or is experiencing growing pains.
Don’t feel that you are alone in these struggles. Often, a problem you think is unique to your committee simply
is not. It’s the same one that many other Women’s Committees have experienced or are experiencing in the
process of development. That’s why Women’s Committees should network, share, attend conferences, lobby and
look to each other for support and ideas.
Don’t give up! Try not to isolate your committee. Support comes when the committee reflects the priorities of its
members and everyone recognizes that committee’s function.
Have fun! Enjoy being creative and watching one another grow as activists and leaders.
Women’s Committees are leaders in the USW. We are a stronger union when our policies, actions, and collective
agreements reflect the needs and dreams of our sisters, as well as our brothers.

Glossary
Abilism: Harassment, exclusion, economic exploitation and oppression based on the presence or perceived
presence of a physical or mental disability.
Aboriginal Peoples: Canada’s first peoples, who include First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. (The term “Indig-
enous peoples” has a similar meaning and is preferred by some because it is not a label created and applied by
government.)
Activism: Positive and direct action taken to achieve a particular goal (e.g., women’s equality).
Advocacy: Supporting a cause or individual(s), through a wide variety of means, including conversations,
speeches, letters to the editor, motions and resolutions at meetings, marches, rallies, and electoral politics.
Caucus: A gathering by individuals sharing the same characteristics or experience. Examples include a women’s
caucus, an Aboriginal workers’ caucus and a call-centre workers’ caucus. A caucus can provide education and
information about issues, as well as a power base from which to take action. A women’s caucus can formulate
policy, make recommendations, lobby and provide representation on union executives.
Cisgender: A person who, for the most part, identifies as the gender they were designated at birth; not trans-
gender. Often shortened to “cis.”
Coalition: A group of individuals with a common purpose to initiate action, usually through lobbying, with the
objective of reaching out and building campaigns, raising awareness, and achieving legislative change (e.g., pay
equity).
Equality: Equal access and opportunity to pay, jobs, promotions, pensions and other workplace benefits and to
leadership opportunities in our union.
Employment Equity: Hiring policies and other workplace practices that remove barriers to and encourage fair
workplace representation of women, Aboriginal people, racialized people and other people who suffer discrimination.
Empowerment: The process of democratizing power and authority so groups in society can make their own
decisions and give their own voice to issues that affect them (e.g., a Women’s Committee can empower women).
Feminism: The movement of women, led by women, to gain political, economic and social rights equal to those of
men and to eliminate racism, homophobia and abilism.
Gender: Gender is one of those things everyone thinks they understand, but don’t. It used to be defined as “the
classification of male and female according to sex groupings, i.e., men or women.” It is now understood as being
much more than an either/or dichotomy, but more of a spectrum influenced by these four things:
Biological Sex: The physical sex characteristics each of us is born with and develop.
Gender Identity: How each person defines their gender. Gender identity does not necessarily “match up with” how
each of us expresses their gender, through clothing or behaviour, as shaped as these are by social expectations.
Gender Expression: How each person presents their gender through clothing or behaviour, as shaped as these are by
social expectations. Gender expression does not necessarily “match up with” how each of us identifies their gender.
Sexual Orientation: The gender of the people we are sexually and/or romantically attracted to.
Gender Wage Gap: The difference between the average wage of men and of women that is based only on
gender, not on different levels of education, skill or experience.
Harassment: An expression of perceived power and superiority by the harasser over another person or group,

usually for reasons of sex, race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, family or marital
status, social or economic class, political or religious affiliation or language.
Homophobia: Harassment, exclusion, economic exploitation and oppression based on sexual orientation or per-
ceived sexual orientation.
Indigenous Peoples: Canada’s first peoples, who include First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. (The term
“Aboriginal peoples” has a similar meaning but is falling out of use because it is a label created and applied by
government.)
Lobby: Acting for a special interest group to influence changes or improvements in legislation, policies, programs
and government decisions.
LGBTQ2S+: The acronym meaning Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Two-Spirited and other categories
of people who do not identify as heterosexual or cisgender.
Minority: A group of people in society who because of their racial origin, religion, sexuality, or physical and men-
tal challenges, are politically and socially controlled by a larger group.
Networking: Building alliances and support throughout the union structure. Communication, contact, develop-
ing links, meeting new people and keeping in touch with other women are all part of networking.
Pay Equity: Equal pay for work of equal value, whether it is done by women or men or both. (Not to be con-
fused with “equal pay for equal work” which does not address the problem that entire fields of work done by
women has been traditionally seen as less valuable than work done by men.)
Racial Harassment: Words or actions that show disregard or cause humiliation to another person because of
race, colour, religion, language, creed, ancestry, place of origin, or ethnic origin.
Racialized Persons: Includes but are not limited to people who identify as South Asian, East Asian, South-east
Asian, African, Caribbean, South and Central American and West Asian (e.g., Iranian, Afghani).
Racism: Harassment, exclusion, economic exploitation and oppression based on skin colour.
Resolution: A formal statement of opinion adopted by a group that leads to a specific action.
Sexism: Harassment, exclusion, economic exploitation, and oppression based on sex or gender. Many
women experience the compound effect of discrimination based on race and gender.
Sexual Harassment: Unwanted, implied or sexually oriented remarks, behaviour and actions, that are perceived
to create a negative psychological and emotional environment. It can include remarks about appearance or per-
sonal life, offensive graffiti or degrading pictures, physical contact of any kind or sexual demand.
Solidarity: Expressing group unity and agreement of ideas and principles, which creates an atmosphere of mu-
tual understanding and helps achieve goals.
Strategy: A broad plan that explains where you are at present, where you want to be in the future (goal) and
how to get there. It can be a list of ideas or methods needed to attain objectives.
Transgender: A person who, either fully or in part, does not identify with the gender they were desiginated at
birth. Often used as an umbrella term for a wide range of gender identities. Often shortened to “trans.”
Transphobia: Harassment, exclusion, economic exploitation and oppression against trans people.
Women’s Committee: A committee of our union established to mobilize the activities of women members.
The committee can lobby, advocate, research and develop policy, report, advise, campaign and make
recommendations to the local union executive about issues important to women.

Notes:

Notes:

Notes:

Notes:

United Steelworkers Canadian National Office

<sru-sdr, cope-sepb 343>
234 Eglinton Ave. E., 8th Floor • Toronto ON • M4P 1K7

Ph: 416.487.1571 • Fax: 416.482.5548 • Web: usw.ca
uswmetallos @SteelworkersCA
WomenofSteelCanada

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Women of Steel NG ACTI

USW Guide for

A few words about words

2 U S W G U I DE FOR WOMEN’S C O MMI TTEES

Dear Sisters and allies:

Ken Neumann, Stephen Hunt

Alain Croteau Marty Warren

USW GUI DE FO R WO MEN’S CO MMITTE E S 3

4 U S W G U I DE FOR WOMEN’S C O MMI TTEES

How To Use This Guide

TT Setting up a Women’s Committee for the first time

USW GUI DE FO R WO MEN’S CO MMITTE E S 5

Why USW needs Women’s Committees 10

Nuts and Bolts of a Women’s Committee 10

Getting Things Done 32

6 U S W G U I DE FOR WOMEN’S C O MMI TTEES

Getting Down to Work:

Key Issues for Women of Steel 43

Organizing: Spread the Word 48

USW GUI DE FO R WO MEN’S CO MMITTE E S 7

8 U S W G U I DE FOR WOMEN’S C O MMI TTEES

USW GUI DE FO R WO MEN’S CO MMITTE E S 9

Why USW needs Women’s Committees

Nuts and Bolts of a Women’s Committee

TT STEP ONE: Recruit committee members

1 0 U S W G U ID E FOR WOMEN ’S CO MMI TTEES

Recruit committee members

USW GUI DE FO R WO MEN’S CO MMI T TE E S 11

1 2 U S W G U ID E FOR WOMEN ’S CO MMI TTEES

Getting Down to Work:

USW GUI DE FO R WO MEN’S CO MMI T TE E S 13

Getting Down to Work:

1 4 U S W G U ID E FOR WOMEN ’S CO MMI TTEES

STEP 2 Call a first meeting

STEP 3 What’s our mission?

USW GUI DE FO R WO MEN’S CO MMI T TE E S 15

Getting Down to Work:

What are the two most pressing issues for you?

How can we reach you?

Thanks for your time. Please return this to

1 6 U S W G U ID E FOR WOMEN ’S CO MMI TTEES

STEP 4 Create an action plan

USW GUI DE FO R WO MEN’S CO MMI T TE E S 17

Getting Down to Work:

An action plan is a way to take action on the issues important to women.

Activities Who does what By when Resources Communication

1 8 U S W G U ID E FOR WOMEN ’S CO MMI TTEES

An example might look like:

Key Issue 1: Affordable child care

Activities Who does what By when Resources Communication

USW GUI DE FO R WO MEN’S CO MMI T TE E S 19

2 0 U S W G U ID E FOR WOMEN ’S CO MMI TTEES

How do we make it happen?

Here are some tips for developing a Women’s Committee budget:

Getting Down to Work:

Use this as a template for creating your Women’s Committee budget:

Expected Fundraising Revenue

Total Projected Budget

2 2 U S W G U ID E FOR WOMEN ’S CO MMI TTEES

USW GUI DE FO R WO MEN’S CO MMI T TE E S 23

STEP 6 Keep it happening!

2 4 U S W G U ID E FOR WOMEN ’S CO MMI TTEES

USW GUI DE FO R WO MEN’S CO MMI T TE E S 25